Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick, powered by CBT News

Gary Ng-Wai on Building a 24/7 Digital Dealership

• Jim Fitzpatrick

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 25:24

Gary Ng-Wai, Chief Revenue Officer at CarJiffy, explains how dealerships can prepare for the shift from AI-powered vehicle shopping to AI-assisted buying. As consumers increasingly use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude throughout the purchase journey, dealers may need to make their websites capable of completing transactions rather than simply generating leads.

Key discussion points include:

  • AI buying vs. AI shopping and how the two differ 
  • 24/7 digital transactions spanning trades, financing, F&I, deposits, and delivery 
  •  Why convenience and reduced friction could influence where AI directs buyers 
  •  The importance of owning the customer relationship and transaction data
  •  How AI can automate handoffs and repetitive tasks without replacing salespeople 
  •  The infrastructure dealers need to support the next phase of automotive retail 

Ng-Wai also discusses how dealers can integrate AI buying capabilities with their existing DMS and CRM while adapting to changing consumer expectations.

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Welcome And Why AI Matters

Announcer

Welcome to Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick.

Jim Fitzpatrick

AI has changed how consumers shop for vehicles, and the next wave of innovation could have major implications for dealerships. Joining us now is Gary Ningwai, who is the Chief Revenue Officer at Card Jiffy, to discuss what dealers should be thinking about today to prepare for the future of automotive retail. Gary, thank you so much for joining me once again in the studio.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks again for having me.

AI Shopping Versus AI Buying

Jim Fitzpatrick

Sure. So uh so let's jump right in here. A lot of dealers are hearing about AI. We've spoken, we've had numerous shows on this topic. It uh is just playing a bigger and bigger role uh in in retail automotive. But but you're making a uh a distinction between AI helping consumers shop and AI helping consumers buy. Big difference there, right? Why why is that distinction so important? Yeah, that distinction is everything.

SPEAKER_02

AI shopping is already here. Consumers can use ChatGBT, Gemini, Claude, Meta AI, and a bunch of other tools to research vehicles, to compare models, to evaluate payments, to narrow inventory and decide, you know, what makes sense for them to buy. But AI buying is the bigger shift. Now, this is when AI doesn't just help the consumer research, it helps a consumer take action. It helps them find the right vehicle, compare the right deal, structure the payment, evaluate the trade, move through financing, and decide where the transaction should happen. That is why dealers need to think beyond AI as just a chatbot or a content tool. The real question is when AI helps a buyer decide, will your dealership be ready to transact?

Jim Fitzpatrick

Right, right. That that's the big question right there. Why should dealers care about this right now when most buyers are still completing

Convenience Changes Behavior Fast

Jim Fitzpatrick

at least part of the deal with a salesperson or in the showroom?

SPEAKER_02

Well, because consumer behavior does not change slowly. And once that convenience becomes obvious, things change. We've seen this in every category so far, like travel, retail, banking, food delivery, insurance, mortgages. Once consumers get used to a simple digital path, they do not go backward. Automotive has been slower because the transaction is more complex. There is trade, there's credit, there's FI, there's paperwork, there's compliance, delivery, and dealer workflow. But that is exactly why dealers need the right infrastructure. If AI can help the buyer find the right vehicle, but the dealer website can't support the next step, the buyer will move to the easiest place to transact. So dealers, again, don't lose deals only to competitors, they lose them to convenience.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah, yeah,

When AI Picks Where To Buy

Jim Fitzpatrick

for sure. Um, what happens when an AI assistant is helping a consumer choose where to buy?

SPEAKER_02

Well, the AI will likely prioritize the path that gives the buyer the least amount of friction. So if one dealer has inventory but no way to transact, another has a lead form, another says call us tomorrow, and another lets the buyer move forward with payment, trade, financing, deposit, scheduling their delivery, the AI-assisted buyer is going to favor the easiest path. That should be every dealer's top list for their their attention. Yeah, for sure. The next customer may not arrive by walking into the showroom or even filling out a form. The next customer may arrive through a buying process that already has been researched, narrowed, and prepared by AI. So the question is whether your dealership is ready to receive that buyer.

Jim Fitzpatrick

What should dealers watch for?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I think, Jim, dealers should watch for how quickly the buyer expectation changes. This is not about someone who is casually browsing. This is about a buyer using AI to define exactly what they want, compare options, and move forward towards where they can complete that transaction. So the key thing to watch is this the AI does not choose the dealer with the most excuses. It chooses the dealer with the clearest path to buy. Okay.

The Midnight Deal Scenario

Jim Fitzpatrick

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Let's let's take a look at the video.

SPEAKER_00

So they do not open a website. They do not call anyone, they just ask. Find a black 2024 Highlander? A few clear conditions handed to a machine. The agent goes looking, reading every dealer in range. Hundreds of sites in seconds. It judges them on one thing only. Can the deal be finished here tonight? The first dealer has the car, a full page about it, and nowhere on it to actually buy. So it moves on. The next one offers a form. Leave your number, someone will call. That is a wall, not a door. The third says, call us during business hours when someone is in. It is nearly midnight. Three good dealers, each one able to show the car, and none of them able to sell it. AI will not replace dealerships. It will replace the friction in front of them. Then it finds a fourth, the same kind of site, with one thing the others were missing, a real way to buy, added right on top. So the agent stops scanning and starts working. It builds the exact car, priced to the budget, values the trade, applies for credit and locks the rate, adds the protection plan, leaves a deposit, signs the paperwork, and books the pickup. Start to finish the whole deal. Done. No human ever stepped in. The dealer wakes to a finished sale. Not a lead, a complete transaction. Closed while the showroom was dark and everyone asleep. The AI didn't choose the closest dealer. It didn't choose the cheapest dealer. It chose the easiest dealer to buy from.

Jim Fitzpatrick

For sure. So that that video paints a very different picture of retail automotive's future. So talk to me about that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the main takeaway is that convenience wins. Yeah. The buyer in that scenario is not asking for five callbacks. They're not looking to restart the entire process with the dealership. They want to move forward with intent, and when that intent is highest. That is where most dealer websites are not ready. They help people shop, but they don't often help them buy. When an AI world comes around, that gap becomes even more dangerous because AI will expose the difference between dealers that can transact and dealers that can only collect leads. Most dealer websites generate leads.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Cargi helps them generate sales. Right. And you're capturing that customer when they're really in the buying mode. You know, you for customers, they can go from the shopping mode to the buying mode in the blink of an eye. And you want to capture that, right? That high intent moment when that sale is ready to be done. Yeah, because if you submit a lead, you don't make a commitment on a car, you got 24 hours, 48 hours, whenever it is they come back, and the dealership gets back to you the next day, the next afternoon, whatever it might be, you might be on to other things in your life and say, hey, you know what, maybe it's not a good time to buy the car. But last night you would have clicked to buy the car. Right. Right? Wow, that that's incredible. So where does Car Jiffy

Turning Websites Into 24-7 Sales

Jim Fitzpatrick

fit into the AI-assisted shopping and buying future?

SPEAKER_02

So Car Jiffy gives dealers the transaction infrastructure they need to compete in that future. Today it turns a dealer's website into a 24-7 sales channel where buyers can structure payments, manage trade-ins, apply for credit, select FI products, e-sign, leave a deposit, and schedule for delivery or pickup. But strategically, it also creates the foundation for AI-assisted buying because the buying journey becomes structured, connected, and actionable. AI needs a place to execute. It cannot complete a transaction through a disconnected lead form. So Car Jiffy gives dealers that layer under the dealer's brand, on their own website, connected to the dealer's sales process.

Why The Deal Must Stay Yours

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah. Well, and you say the dealer's own website, um, why is that so important that it happens inside a dealer's own ecosystem instead of through a third party?

SPEAKER_02

Because whoever owns the transaction owns the customer relationship. They own the data, they own the brand experience, they influence the margin opportunity. They control the handoff to sales, F and I delivery, and service. Yeah. So if AI buying evolves through third-party marketplaces, dealers risk becoming just fulfillment points instead of relationship owners. And that is a significant danger to dealers. So the question is not whether AI will influence automotive retail. It will. The question is whether dealers will own the transaction when that happens. Car JP again is built to keep that transaction inside the dealer's ecosystem.

AI Replaces Friction Not People

Jim Fitzpatrick

What do you say to the dealers that are watching that are w that are worried that AI is going to take the place of their team, of their salesperson? Um, that really bel you know, those dealers that believe that, you know, this could have a negative impact. We really want them to come in and meet that salesperson. And how do you respond to that?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, great, great question. Uh AI is not going to replace the best parts of the dealership. It's not going to replace trust. It's not going to replace the relationship. It's not going to replace the confidence a buyer gets with a great salesperson or a strong FI manager or a well-run delivery experience. But AI will replace friction. It will replace slow handoffs, disconnected forms, repeated questions, and unnecessary waiting. That is why the future is not AI versus the dealership. The future is AI plus the dealership if the dealer has the infrastructure to support it. Technology again creates the opportunity. Your people close the relationship.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah, yeah. I like it.

Blockbuster Warnings For Dealers

Jim Fitzpatrick

Um now you you you you give examples like, and we've all heard these, right? Blockbuster. We don't want to be a blockbuster in the auto industry, but blockbuster, Kodak, the taxi industry. Why those why are those comparisons relevant to retail automotive?

SPEAKER_02

Excellent. Well, because those companies and industry did not fail because they were unaware. Blockbusters saw streaming. Kodak saw digital photography. The taxi industry saw ride sharing. They knew change was happening. The problem was that they underestimated how quickly consumer behavior would shift once a more convenient model became normal. That's right. This is a warning for dealers. Dealers should not assume they have unlimited time just because today's process still works for many buyers. The future rarely announces itself, it simply arrives.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And when buyers become comfortable using AI to shop and eventually buy, the dealers who waited too long may be forced to react instead of lead.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Now you brought another video with you that we want to show our audience. Um it's titled The Cost of Waiting. What should dealers take away from this one?

SPEAKER_02

Well, the video is really about urgency, Jim. Every industry shift that has happened for companies, they all said we still have more time. And then suddenly they don't. That's right. So the point is not to scare dealers, it's to remind them that waiting has a cost. And the dealers who build true digital transaction capability now will be in a much stronger position when AI assisted buying becomes a normal part of consumer behavior.

Jim Fitzpatrick

That's right. That's right. There's no question. When you know, I was around uh in and in the auto industry when uh back in the early uh 90s and the mid-90s when um the internet came in and everybody had to have a website, and you know, there were those dealers that said nobody's gonna buy a car on the internet or use the internet to buy a car, they still want to come in and kick the tires and talk to a salesperson. That's a you know, that that's a fad, right? And of course, what dealer would ever want to be without a website today? You know, but uh so it's those early adopters that that get out far ahead of the pack. Exactly. Yeah, no question about it. So let's go ahead and and show the video, then we'll talk about it. Excellent. Okay.

The Cost Of Waiting

SPEAKER_00

Every giant believed its world was permanent. Blockbuster was certain people would always come to the store. Netflix never asked them to. Kodak invented the digital camera, then buried it. Sure, that film would always matter. The taxi knew you'd always hail a cab until you opened an app instead. None of them were blindsided, they saw it coming. They simply moved too slowly. Kodak, blockbuster, the corner cab stand, Sears, Nokia, eroded. Not overnight, but not by accident. The future rarely announces itself, it simply arrives. It already has.

Jim Fitzpatrick

I mean, you you you either better get on on the program or your competition's gonna blow you away.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly. Yes.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Talk to us about that. Why, why, why would you say to dealers who believe they still have plenty of time, what what what do you say to those dealers?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, listen, every industry believes it has more time. Yeah. The challenge is that the buyer changes first and then the business often realizes too late. Yeah. You know, that's right. So dealers do not need to abandon what what makes them successful. They don't need to become a Carvana. They do not need to replace their teams, but they do need to make sure that they can compete in the way consumers increasingly want to buy. Yeah. If the buyer wants to start online, continue in store, transact after hours, or eventually use AI to help complete more of that journey, the dealer needs to be ready. And the cost of waiting isn't just missing a trend, it's losing the customer relationship to someone who made that process to buy easier.

Jim Fitzpatrick

That's right. That's right. Um, I love your slogan. It's always selling. But in reality, uh today's uh dealers and their websites are not always selling. They're really just showing some pictures and maybe videos, a walk-around video, what have you, but to your point, they then they have to stop, fill out a form, hope to get a call back. It's a lead. You're taking them right to the sale.

SPEAKER_02

We're taking it for to an end-to-end transaction for the dealer, not a digital brochure, right as you uh sort of described.

Jim Fitzpatrick

That's right.

SPEAKER_02

They're actually now being able to buy that vehicle fully online, and that deal is showing up for the dealership in the morning as a closed piece of sale.

The Website Readiness Checklist

Jim Fitzpatrick

So, Garrett, let me ask you, what should a dealer actually do now to prepare for AI shopping and uh AI buying?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I think, Jim, the first step is to honestly look at their website. Can a buyer move beyond shopping? Can they structure a real deal? Can they value their trade? Can they apply for credit? Can they select FI? Can they leave a deposit? Can they schedule delivery or pickup? If the answer is no, then the website is not yet a transaction channel. The second thing is to make sure the dealer owns that capability under their own brand. That is where Carjiffy comes in. We help dealers create that infrastructure to transact online today and prepare for that AI-assisted buying behavior that's coming next. And again, to make it very easy for dealers to get started. We're offering a 60-day on-us platform use incentive for dealers who connect with me after the interview. Again, no cost, no strings attached, no long-term commitment. Yeah. It will give dealers a chance to experience what a true 24-7 transaction channel can do to make uh impact to their business before they make a long-term decision.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah, that's great. Now, since COVID, there has been um some other people in this space, as you know. However, the difference here, and the reason we want to talk to you, is that you're the only end-to-end uh solution for dealers, right?

SPEAKER_02

At this point, yes, we represent the only end-to-end starting from the beginning and finishing again with a signed bill of sale. Very nice. With a deposit.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Uh there are others out there that go to 75 or 80 percent, but again, don't take them all the way through that. Gotcha. Um, and so we are we are here to ensure that the you know the uh the industry knows.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Sure. And then you're also agnostic, you're kind of like Switzerland, you'll deal with all of these different platforms out there, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we we simply have uh an agnostic platform in that we promote a plug and play. So not about rip and replacing. We in essence want to be a warm blanket over your existing operations. So your whatever DMS you use, whatever CRM you use, whatever credit application um platform you use, we simply work with that and create around digitizing the exact same way that your sales team sells today, just digitally. Yeah, that's fantastic.

Plug And Play With Dealer Systems

Jim Fitzpatrick

Um how can this platform be leveraged by OEMs or franchise dealer networks, maybe the publics or what have you? What you know, the the work that that want to prepare um their dealer body for the next shift?

SPEAKER_02

Well, uh Car Jiffy can be tailored or made bespoke for OEMs and franchise network dealers. Okay. Uh an OEM can can license the Car Jiffy platform for use by its franchise dealers with the support of the Car Jiffy team, or the OEM can license the platform for in-house development and further customize it for their own brand, their retail standards, and digital strategy. This gives OEMs a way to accelerate consistent digital transaction capability across their entire dealer network, again, without starting from scratch. But the key is that dealers can still keep the transaction, the customer relationship, and the local sales process, and that is very important. So this again isn't about making the customer, you know, move away from something that they're familiar with at the dealership. It's about preparing the dealer network to compete in the next era of automotive retail.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Sure. So, Gary, as we close out this segment, and I appreciate all the time that you've given us, um, for dealers that are watching this, um, what's the one question that they should be asking themselves today? Well, the question is simple.

SPEAKER_02

When AI helps a buyer decide what to buy, where to buy, and how to move forward, will your dealership be ready? Yeah. If your website only captures a lead, you may be part of the research process. But if your website can actually support the transaction, you can now be part of the buying process. And that is the shift. Yeah. The future is again not about generating more leads, it's about converting more buyers. Right. And for dealers who want to see what that looks like in their own store, Cargiffy is making it simple to get started. 60 days on us, no costs, no strings attached, no long-term commitment.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Wow, that's fantastic. What do you got, dealers that are watching this right now? What have you got to lose? I mean, this is a 60-day no commitment. Just try it. Maybe you've got 10 stores and you want to try it in three stores to see if before you roll it out to your entire network of dealerships, maybe you want to start it in one store. But um, you know, we've heard so many good things about this company. That's why we wanted to bring you in here, uh, because there were a lot, you've made a lot of waves out there in a short period of time. And uh we we really when when we heard that you guys were doing the old or you were the only one out there end to end and being able to complete that transaction um is really the differentiator, right? Out there. And that's what dealers are looking for now, especially as more consumers are going online and want to do more of the transaction online, right?

SPEAKER_02

Exactly. We know the demographic has changed. We know that 95% of buyers start their process online.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And so if they're already in that environment, aka on your website, yeah. Why not at that high intent period be able to have that transaction go from fill out this form to I can actually take myself through this entire buy process and conditionally buy this vehicle by signing a conditional bill of sale with a deposit.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Sure, sure.

Transparent Online F&I Benefits

Jim Fitzpatrick

And we spoke a little uh a little Little while before we got recording today. Uh, and the beautiful part about this is that if any, you know, for dealers that are out there saying, What about FI? Um, you actually saw FI reserves go up and FI PVR go up in a process like this because the customer is not as intimidated by going into the box, you know, with an FI manager where they're no, no, no, no, no. They're doing all of this in the comfort of their own home, so they're more prone to buy things uh after the sale, right?

SPEAKER_02

Exactly. What we know, again, is that people appreciate transparency. If it's transparent for them and they don't feel like somebody is throwing things over to them in uh in a in a pressurized situation.

Jim Fitzpatrick

In a short period of time, make it a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02

They actually internalize it and see the value of it, not because somebody told them, but because they saw it.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that's what this system also does is bring that transparency to that sales process.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And as you said, Jim, it has increased the revenue that comes from attaching F and I to their sales.

Jim Fitzpatrick

The other things I would imagine it would increase is is a couple of things. Repeat business, referral business. Hey, I, you know, if I if I bought a car this way and I was happy with it, I'm more prone to tell my neighbors and friends, right, and relatives about this process that I found at this dealership. The other thing that's going to increase is CSI scores. You know, right away the customer is much more happy because they don't have a four-hour wait uh to get into the dealership or they're not waiting for they're able to click that that uh that button and bingo, they're buying the car.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, they're clicking that buy online now button that again is built onto every VDP page within that dealer's website.

Jim Fitzpatrick

That's great.

SPEAKER_02

So again, with some simple marketing that the dealership would do, which is to have banner ads that say you can buy cars from me fully online now at 24-7. It had again a marked impact for the dealers that are present on our platform.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Oh, no question. Yeah, you would I would lead if I were a dealer again today, I would lead with that message. Because to your point, convenience is what it's all about, and it's all about that customer journey. And by the way, folks, if Carvana can do it, why can't we do it? Well, now we can, right? With with Car Jiffy. I mean, these are as I said earlier, these are the kind of solutions that we want to be bringing you. Any final thoughts for the dealers today?

The One Question To Ask

SPEAKER_02

I think again, someone is going to use AI to buy a vehicle.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And maybe not tomorrow, but that shift is coming. So the dealers who prepare now will be positioned to own that customer, own that transaction, and own that relationship. Now the dealers who wait will still get a lead, but you may not get the sale.

Jim Fitzpatrick

That's right.

SPEAKER_02

So again, for any dealer who wants to start now, we're offering again a 60-day on-us platform use incentive. Wow, no better. So you can see the opportunity that this brings to you at no cost.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Yeah. That's that's no long-term commitment. Right.

SPEAKER_02

No strings attached.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Wow. You're feeling pretty confident about your product and its outcome, right? Indeed. Wow, that's fantastic.

Final Thoughts And Wrap

Jim Fitzpatrick

Gary Ningwai, who is the chief revenue officer at Car Jiffy. This is a company you're going to be hearing a lot more about. Um, and uh, we these are again are the things that we want to be bringing you here at CBT News so that you can run your dealerships more efficiently, more effectively, and also uh more bottom more money to the bottom line. I think this product is going to do this for you. So, Gary, thank you again for joining us on the show. Very much appreciated.

SPEAKER_02

Appreciate it as well. Thanks.